A passive optical network (PON) is a point-to-multipoint network architecture comprising an optical line terminal (OLT) at the service provider and ONUs at subscribers for providing the subscribers with broadband services. Standards have been developed to define different types of PONs, each of which serves a different purpose. For example, the various PON types known in the related art include a Broadband PON (BPON), an Ethernet PON (EPON), ten Gigabit-Ethernet PON (10 G-EPON) a Gigabit PON (GPON), ten-Gigabit PON (XG-PON), and others.
Many current-generation and next-generation high-speed, PON-based systems are optimized for residential services. For example, these access networks can include Fiber to the x (FTTx), hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC), and fiber-fed power-line systems, etc. Adding the ability to transport high-quality network-synchronization signals (useful for timing 3G/4G wireless base-stations, etc.) across the non-PON section of the system often increases the cost and complexity of these systems.
As technology progresses and data rates increase for transmitted signals, greater noise is introduced into the transmitted signals on the non-PON segment of the network, and the difficulty of properly synchronizing network components increases. Further, it becomes more difficult to correct synchronization and control errors that are introduced in the signals during transmission.
Features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which like reference characters identify corresponding elements throughout. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.